Main accused in R50-lakh robbery nabbed in Mumbai

The police have arrested a youth identified as Mandeep alias Sunny Sallan (24), a Phagwara resident, from the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee the country. Mandeep is the main accused in the loot of Rs 50 lakh from a local money changer Ashok Kumar.

Police have arrested a youth identified as Mandeep alias Sunny Sallan (24), a Phagwara resident, from the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee the country. Mandeep is the main accused in the loot of Rs 50 lakh from a local money changer Ashok Kumar.

Sunny and his accomplices had allegedly looted money changer Ashok Kumar in November. The amount that was looted was Rs 45 lakh worth of foreign currency and Rs 5 lakh of Indian currency.

The victim was attacked and robbed of more than Rs 50 lakh by armed robbers near City Police station on the night of November 28.

The other robbers identified as Jaipal Soni, Jaspreet Singh Jassi, Sandeep and Deepa have already been arrested by the police, while their fourth accomplice Harpal Singh alias Pala was killed in a gang war in Phagwara on February 9 and the fifth Sunny Salhan, who was absconding, was nabbed on Friday, he added.

Superintendent of Police HPS Khakh said the police had information that Sunny could flee the country, which is why information about him had been passed on to all the airports. Sunny was caught at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Nepal.

Khakh said Sunny was being brought back from Mumbai by a police team. He said police have already recovered Rs 13 lakh from the other accused and would interrogate Sunny to recover the remaining amount. Several more disclosures are expected, he added.